NURSING EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

Northwest Arkansas Nursing Education Consortium (NEC) is the collaboration of area nurse educators to enhance nursing education practices. NEC is an Arkansas charitable corporation managed by an eight-member board of nurse educators representing the four Northwest Arkansas nursing schools (University of Arkansas Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, AHEC Northwest/UAMS and Northwest Technical Institute).

The Nursing Education Consortium, a public charity operating under an IRS 509 (a) (1) permanent approval granted in March 2005, coordinates clinical schedules and student orientations, seeks program grants, coordinates nursing education and curriculum programs.

BILINGUAL NURSING SCHOLARS INITIATIVE (BNSI)

The Bilingual Nursing Scholars Initiative (BNSI) celebrates its fourth anniversary in June 2009.  In that time BNSI boasts thirty-seven nursing graduates, forty-nine CNA licensees and sixty-eight candidates in three high schools.   Eleven additional BNSI scholars are in the “pipeline” as in-track nursing student moving toward their nursing license.  Shay Lastra chairs the Bilingual Nursing Scholars Initiative (BNSI) project.

BNSI is seeking partnerships with area hospitals, clinics and practices and national foundations to provide sustainable funding to educate up to eight bilingual nurses and fifteen bilingual CNAs each school year.

The pilot phase has been funded by grants from Care, Walton Family and Winthrop Rockefeller Foundations. It operates three cohorts (locations at Springdale and Har-Ber High in Springdale and Siloam Springs High) to identify, recruit and academically support up to 48 bilingual high school students each summer to them to qualify for nursing school admission.  BNSI partners with Siloam Springs and Springdale Schools to encourage nursing career options to their bilingual students.

BNSI offers a four-week intensive Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) to enhance the reading, writing, mathematics and computer testing skills of candidates for nursing school admission.  High school juniors and seniors receive a stipend and incentive to participate in these 80 hours of in-depth mentoring/tutoring.

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